Assessment & Rating trends during 2018-2024

Assessments and ratings have been one of the key features of the National Quality Framework (NQF) since its implementation in 2012.

ACA NSW Members will be interested in the trends of quality rating changes since the major change in the NQF that was introduced in 2018. The following graphs show the propensity of NSW-based early childhood education and care services in their quality ratings following (re-)assessment and rating.

Essentially, what these graphs tell us is that while the majority of services remain with the same quality rating.

However, for those services that were already Meeting the National Quality Standard (NQS) or higher, the following shows the average percentage of NSW-based services that will change to a higher or lower overall quality ratings upon their (re-)assessment and rating:

• for long daycare services (NSW):

  • downgraded to a lower quality rating = 17.75%

  • upgraded to a higher quality rating = 5.11%
    
    

• for family daycare services (NSW):

  • downgraded to a lower quality rating = 15.47%

  • upgraded to a higher quality rating = 4.66%
    
    

• for independent preschools (ie not at schools) (NSW):

  • downgraded to a lower quality rating = 15.66%

  • upgraded to a higher quality rating = 9.57%
    
    

• for preschools at schools (NSW):

  • downgraded to a lower quality rating = 18.09%

  • upgraded to a higher quality rating = 10.79%
    
    

• for out-of-school-hours-care services (NSW):

  • downgraded to a lower quality rating = 13.87%

  • upgraded to a higher quality rating = 1.88%

The obvious observation and concern is the broad "convergence" of NSW-based early childhood education and care services towards Meeting the NQS, thus giving the perception that striving for higher quality ratings is more challenging.

Of similar concerns are the delay in assessments and ratings for those already on Working Towards or lower. During 2018 to 2024, the delay for these services to have an assessment and rating is 1 year at the low end and 5.75 years at the high end, with the average being between 1.17 to 1.72 years.

ACA NSW members can download the data based on ACECQA's records that were used to produce the above.

These observations are also in the context of ACECQA's recent statement, that "91% of children’s education and care services are rated Meeting National Quality Standard (NQS) or above ..."

More in-depth commentary will be provided at ACA NSW Members-Only Meetings and Regional Meetings.

For more information/clarification, please contact the ACA NSW team on 1300 556 330 or nsw@childcarealliance.org.au.

PUBLISHED: 7 APRIL 2025